Presses have been used to press connectors into circuit boards for so-called “press-fit” type connections. For such connections, a connector includes contact pins and a circuit board includes corresponding holes to receive the contact pins. The press provides the force and motion to press the contact pins into the holes of the circuit board. The connector may be pressed to a specified position or to a specified force.
One problem with pressing the connector to a specified position is that it takes some amount of setup time to determine the specified position. For example, a user typically measures the circuit board thickness with a micrometer, measures the height of the connector, determines the current position of the press, and calculates and enters a position into a controller. Such a process may take an unacceptably long time. Further, such a process may result in an unacceptable amount of incorrectly pressed connectors due to measurement error, calculation error, data entry error, or the like. Therefore, a need exists for a user-friendly way for a press to determine a specified pressed position.
Pressing the connector to a specified force presents another problem. To adjust the pressing depth, a user either enters a force threshold or a force-distance ratio threshold. Such concepts may be difficult to comprehend and therefore may lead to errors and incorrectly pressed connectors. Therefore, a need exists for a user-friendly way to adjust a force based threshold.
Yet another problem exists with pressing multiple connectors to a force based threshold. Conventional presses are typically configured to press one connector at a time. To simultaneously press multiple connectors into a circuit board, a user typically looks up the force threshold for one connector type and multiplies by the number of connectors to determine a total force. The process becomes more complex when more than one type of connector is to be pressed. Moreover, if the connectors are of different heights, the press may be used in a multi-stage technique, pressing the smallest connectors on the first stage, then pressing the next larger connectors on the next stage, etc. Such multi-stage pressing may take an unacceptable amount of time. Therefore, a need exists for a user-friendly technique for simultaneously pressing multiple connectors into a circuit board.
Another problem that exists with pressing multiple connectors is that many presses cannot provide full capacity pressing force if the connectors are not located symmetrically about the center of a pressing platen. That is, if a connector is located at an end of the pressing platen, the press may not be able to press at its full capacity. Therefore, a need exists for a press that can provide near full capacity pressing force, even with an asymmetrical load.